Vijay likely to join NDA; should demand Deputy CM post, say TVK leaders

CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the political party led by actor Vijay, is apparently moving towards joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election.

While leaders of the BJP are holding discussions with Vijay, a meeting of district secretaries of TVK was held on Friday under the leadership of party general secretary Bussy Anand. Out of 132 district secretaries, 120 attended the meeting. More than 100 of them reportedly supported joining the NDA. However, they also said they would stand by whatever decision Vijay takes.

During the meeting, Bussy Anand asked the district leaders whether the party should contest the election alone or join an alliance.

According to sources, BJP leaders told Vijay during an informal meeting that he could face greater challenges if the ruling DMK returns to power. They reportedly advised him to consider joining the NDA, keeping his political future in mind.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and superstar Pawan Kalyan has also invited Vijay to join the NDA.

Earlier, TVK leaders had held talks with the AIADMK. However, the talks failed after TVK demanded that it should be the main party in the alliance and that Vijay should be projected as the Chief Minister candidate. AIADMK rejected the demand. Soon after, AIADMK restored its ties with the BJP.

Now, TVK leaders are reportedly willing to settle for the post of Deputy Chief Minister instead of Chief Minister. During the meeting, district secretaries demanded a respectable number of seats in the alliance and the Deputy Chief Minister post for Vijay.

However, some TVK leaders, including Aadhav Arjuna and Nirmal Kumar, argued that the party should contest the Assembly election independently. Leaders of AIADMK, including general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, have not yet reacted to the latest developments. Political observers say that incidents such as the Karur tragedy and a divorce case controversy have affected Vijay’s calculations of making a big impact in the upcoming election.